ISRAEL
a journey through video and journal entries.
30 September, 2022. Sof sof I am in Israel. Words can’t describe how it feels to be here. I expected myself to literally crumple to the earth and kiss it when I finally arrived here, but instead I smiled and didn’t stop smiling even when my cheek bones burned from smiling too much.
Life makes sense here. And I’ve craved this feeling especially hard during the last two years. We sat for Shabbat dinner tonight, my whole family around the table. We are finally together after five long years. I am so grateful.
After dinner we sat for tea and a bowl of fruits on the patio. The fruits were so colorful and bountiful that I couldn’t help but try every single one. Juicy mangos, crisp grapes, and pomegranate seeds that burst on my tongue. I am so grateful.
To finally hug my safta, and hold her hand in mine. I am so grateful.
I feel grounded in a way that I haven't in years. I am so grateful.
6 October, 2022. The olives are ripe. Yesterday my soul finally joined my body here. It arrived while we were sitting around the table for the Yom Kippur break-fast. It’s hard to describe how I feel here. How the smell of the air, the song of the birds, and the sweetness of the fruit gives me a deep sense of peace and belonging. I belong at peace, I belong gathered around tables.
13 October, 2022. Leaving Israel is heartbreaking and expanding and fulfilling all at once. Time felt stretchy during my stay here, and although the trip was shorter than I would’ve liked, I was able to heal in a way I could have never expected, but so deeply needed. I am thankful for that.
As our plane accelerated, wheels lifting off the tarmac, I let the tears fall. I allowed myself to feel heavy with grief as I kept my eyes peeled, looking out the window at the shrinking, glittering lights of the Tel Aviv coastline. Part of my heart lives here with the land I left behind. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Beautiful!